Posted on 09/12/2008 11:29:13 PM PDT by NautiNurse
The eyewall of Hurricane Ike crossed Galveston Island in the early hours of Saturday morning. Reports indicate as many as 20,000 residents of Galveston Island chose not to evacuate as storm surge engulfed the island. The Freeport Chief of Police reported as many as 2000 residents did not evacuate as flood waters swamped coastal communities. There are widespread reports of power outages and coastal flooding throughout the Texas/Louisiana region. The U.S. Coast Guard received hundreds of calls Friday afternoon to rescue people stranded by flood waters along the barrier islands and Galveston Bay communities.
Multiple fires broke out in the Greater Houston area fueled by strong winds. Fire fighting efforts were hampered by flood waters. Brennan's Restaurant, a landmark in Houston, burned to the ground. A 584-foot freighter crippled in the Gulf of Mexico and its crew of 22 survived the storm after The U.S. Coast Guard was forced to abort rescue efforts Friday afternoon due to foul weather
Gulf Coast wholesale gasoline prices jumped to nearly $5 a gallon over fears that water and wind damage could keep the facilities closed for days or longer. Oil companies had shut down 97.5 percent of production in the Gulf of Mexico by Friday morning and were battening down refineries and petrochemical plants in an area that accounts for one-fifth of U.S. refining capacity.
Exxon Mobil reported evacuating workers from its Gulf Coast offshore platforms and onshore facilities in the anticipated path of Ike, shutting down daily production of about 36,000 barrels of oil and 270 million cubic feet of gas..
Public Advisory Updated every 3 hours
Discussion Updated every 6 hours
Buoy data: Western Gulf of Mexico
Houston/Galveston Long Range Radar
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Additional Resources:
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Brazoria County Emergency Management
Galveston County Emergency Management
Chambers Country Emergency Management
Liberty County Emergency Management
| Category | Wind Speed | Barometric Pressure | Storm Surge | Damage Potential |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Depression |
< 39 mph < 34 kts |
Minimal | ||
| Tropical Storm |
39 - 73 mph 34 - 63 kts |
Minimal | ||
| Hurricane 1 (Weak) |
74 - 95 mph 64 - 82 kts |
28.94" or more 980.02 mb or more |
4.0' - 5.0' 1.2 m - 1.5 m |
Minimal damage to vegetation |
| Hurricane 2 (Moderate) |
96 - 110 mph 83 - 95 kts |
28.50" - 28.93" 965.12 mb - 979.68 mb |
6.0' - 8.0' 1.8 m - 2.4 m |
Moderate damage to houses |
| Hurricane 3 (Strong) |
111 - 130 mph 96 - 112 kts |
27.91" - 28.49" 945.14 mb - 964.78 mb |
9.0' - 12.0' 2.7 m - 3.7 m |
Extensive damage to small buildings |
| Hurricane 4 (Very strong) |
131 - 155 mph 113 - 135 kts |
27.17" - 27.90" 920.08 mb - 944.80 mb |
13.0' - 18.0' 3.9 m - 5.5 m |
Extreme structural damage |
| Hurricane 5 (Devastating) |
Greater than 155 mph Greater than 135 kts |
Less than 27.17" Less than 920.08 mb |
Greater than 18.0' Greater than 5.5m |
Catastrophic building failures possible |
|
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Previous Threads:
Hurricane Ike Live Thread III
Hurricane Ike Live Thread II
Hurricane Ike Live Thread I
TS Hanna, Hurricane Ike & TS Josephine [Other than that, the tropics are calm]
Tropical Storms Hanna, Ike and Josephine, TD Gustav (Other than that, the tropics are calm)
High Island residents back today, Bolivar will wait
By CHRISTINE RAPPLEYE
September, 18, 2008
Concern Over Ike`s Human Toll
The death toll in Texas from Hurricane Ike stands at 17, but there is growing concern that the number could grow much higher.
Nearly a week after Ike tore a path of destruction through Texas, questions are being raised about what happened to residents of the low-lying Gulf Coast region who stayed put, despite ominous warnings that they faced “certain death.”
As Ike grew in size over the Gulf of Mexico, AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center meteorologists forecast the hurricane would create a 20-foot storm surge that would obliterate communities on Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula.
Expert Senior Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski says, “The size of Ike created a much larger storm surge than we normally see in a Category 2 or 3 hurricane. The volume of water created by Ike was squeezed into the coastal areas from Louisiana to Texas. The massive devastation would have been exponentially higher had the storm surge been as high as 20 feet.”
The surge reached 13 to 14 feet, swamping the vulnerable low-lying areas and overwhelming the 17-foot seawall that protected the City of Galveston.
The Bolivar Peninsula was not protected by a seawall. Homes and businesses in the towns along the isthmus were no match for the wall of water that pushed across the peninsula and into Galveston Bay.
Entire towns, including High Island and Gilchrist, were wiped out as the surge literally changed the landscape of the peninsula, cutting off any escape routes for those who chose to ride out the hurricane.
According to Associated Press, authorities in three counties say an estimated 90,000 people ignored evacuation orders.
In the aftermath of Ike, roughly 3,500 people have been removed from Galveston and the peninsula and another 6,000 have refused to leave.
While no one is suggesting that thousands have been killed, officials admit that more bodies may be found and some may have been washed out to sea and may never be found.
Galveston County Judge Jim Yarbrough, the county’s highest-ranking elected official, told Associated Press, “I’m not Pollyana. I think we will find some.” Five deaths had been reported in Galveston by Wednesday afternoon, while the number of missing has continued to fluctuate.
One survivor who rode out the storm in Crystal Beach recounted seeing a friend wrenched from the rafters and swept out to sea.
In scenes reminiscent of post-Hurricane Katrina in 2005, In evacuation shelters hundreds of miles from the coast, displaced residents in shelters across Texas scour address books, blog postings and internet forums as they anxiously search for relatives, friends and neighbors.
Judge Yarbrough says the Red Cross and the Galveston Island Beach Patrol are taking the lead role in tracking down the missing. Search crews left the coast on Wednesday after rescuing survivors from Galveston and the Bolivar Peninsula.
The Beach Patrol makes roughly 100 checks daily, mostly acting on tips from concerned friends and relatives of Island residents.
Bodies were still showing up more than a year after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005. In 1900, the Galveston hurricane killed an estimated 8,000 people. However, some reports put the death toll much higher.
It is not know if many of those unaccounted for were able to leave before the storm and simply relocated, or if they were washed away and their bodies were never found.
Anybody that can’t do the math shouldn’t be allowed to make those kinds of jokes. Actually, workers at Target should be fired for them even if they CAN do the math.
I just found out they don't plan on having my power back on until after next Monday, sometime, so :O( is exactly what I've been feeling. That actually cheered me up a little. A little.
I dont think I can do a metal roof in my neighborhood.
Oh great, it’s trying to think about raining. No Rain!! At least not until I get my tarp on!
(minor panic)
“they don’t plan on having my power back on until after next Monday, sometime”
The good news is that they are getting the power up sooner than they are telling people. I think they tell you the longest amount of time, so maybe you will be pleasantly surprised.
Oh thank goodness. It must have just been a spattering that I heard.
(whew)
Thank you
(panic attack off)
I dunno, but when I start to get down I’ll just think, “I want a cheeseburger” which under the circumstances is equivalent to “I want a pony.” and I’ll feel better.
I HAVE thought about wanting a cheeseburger repeatedly over the last few days.
Hahahaha,,,,that makes me think of The Vegetales Cheeseburger song...
He said to her “I’d like a cheeseburger,
And i might like a milkshake as well”,
She said to him “i cant give you either”,
And he said “isn’t this this burger bell?”,
She said “yes it is, but were closed now,
But we open tommorow at ten!”,
HE SAID “I AM EXTREMELY HUNGRY!!!!
But i guess i can wait until then......”
(Chorus)
Coz’ your his Cheeseburger,
His yummy Cheeseburger,
He’ll wait for you-ooo,
YAH! He’ll wait for you-ooo,
Oh, You are his Cheeseburger,
His tasty Cheeseburger,
He’ll wait for you-ooo,
Oh, he will wait for you.
Hang in there...
They won’t let us do a metal roof either. But they let the lady at the corner paint her house pink...Peptobismol (sp) pink...go figure.
I told the guy at the blue roof that it was suppose to rain this weekend and he did say “they are aware.” So maybe that will speed them up.
The problem with our roof is our ladder is not that tall (2 story) and we can’t even get up there (not that hubby would want to) and a ladder tall is just right out of our budget at the moment.
The weather forecaster DID say slight chance of light, scattered showers...so there’s hope there. Sat is SUPPOSED to be no rain at all.
My neighborhood doesn't allow metal roofs either. I got a Gerard Roof that held up very well during this storm. No roof damage whatsoever and we had an estimated 100 mph winds. The roof is interlocking metal shingles with a kynar coating. Looks very much like a regular composition roof, but with a slightly thicker shingle. Lifetime warranty and I am very pleased with it.
“Concern Over Ike`s Human Toll”
My step mother called me today and said their company is missing one employee who lives in Galveston and they are almost sure he stayed. She said that he is not the type to not check in for sure. They called the family who have not heard from him either. Prayers for him and them. Scary business. That is just one I know of personally. Imagine the hundreds more.
That seems to be generally NW of the sat-pic in post
#3548,,,
Those “squares” mite be stock ponds,fish farms or old
fire-walls around storage tanks,,,
Looked to be nearly dry before the storm,,,
The cars mite be an old junk yard,,,(JMHO)...
Me n my buddy I’m staying at are going to grind some meat and have cheeeseburgers!
Bummer about the residential restrictions for roofs. I did a lot of research before replacing the roof 5 years ago. Have been very pleased with the white reflective metal, especially with the reduced electric bills in the summer.
Do you know if they ever caught that tiger or lion that got away? Walton and Johnson were talking about it this morning.
AP, so here's a paraphrase:
Texas Windstorm Insurance Association says wind damage okay, water surge isn't covered.
Texas Watch says cow pucky.
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